Turkey’s language assimilation policies have been labelled ‘crimes against humanity’ at a symposium which was held to explore policy, planning, education and legal status for the Kurdish language.
“Killing a language is genocide,” asserted Kurdish linguist Sami Tan on Saturday at the first Kurdish Language Symposium, held in Van (Wan), Turkey, where he described the country’s language assimilation policies as crimes against humanity. The two-day symposium, organised by the Van branch of the Education and Science Workers’ Union (Eğitim Sen), aimed to address the critical issues surrounding Kurdish language preservation.
The event spanned two days and included discussions on policy, planning, education and legal status. Lokman Babat, spokesman for the Kurdish Language Commission of the trade union branch, emphasised the significance of their cause. “It’s shameful that we still demand mother-tongue education in this century,” he stated. “Our struggle to integrate our native language into daily life must intensify.”
Sami Hêzil, one of the symposium’s organisers, highlighted the event’s goal to delve into topics crucial for the future of the Kurdish language. “The language is our future, and everyone must feel responsible for its preservation,” he said.
Guest of honour İbrahîm Sungur stressed the necessity of using Kurdish in political contexts to ensure its survival. “We need to make Kurdish a language of politics. If we can make this happen, we will have taken a significant step forward,” he stated.
Following the opening speeches, the “Policy and Language” session featured researcher Dr Nadire Güntaş Aldatmaz, Sami Tan and Dr Mikail Bülbül. Tan reiterated the severity of linguistic assimilation, calling it a form of white genocide. “Research shows that people feel better psychologically when speaking their native language,” he explained. “Turkish language policies are a form of white genocide. Society needs to organise to preserve our language, as no state apparatus can erase it if the community is united.”
Dr Bülbül discussed the need to standardise Kurdish. “If there had been political and geographical unity, all Kurds would understand each other today. Standardisation is essential,” he noted.
Dr Aldatmaz highlighted the precarious state of the Kirmançkî dialect, she too stressing the importance of standardisation across all Kurdish dialects. “Without educational institutions, languages like Zazakî cannot survive in Turkey,” she warned.
